Vehicle restraint and improvements

ABSTRACT

Improved vehicle restraints, restraint components and specific improvements to certain existing restraints, including: 1) improvements to the design of the barrier portion or head of the restraining member intended to prevent or eliminate downward forces exerted on the restraining member by a departing ICC bar; and 2) providing a locking member for locking the restraining member of a restraint into a given vertical position for a pull away by the parked vehicle, the lock not impeding normal operation of the restraint, but only being activated during a pull away.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed generally to vehicle restraints, and moreparticularly to improving the ability for vehicle restraints to preventvehicles from uncontrolled separation from loading docks.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Vehicle restraints are well known in the art, and serve the vital safetyfunction of preventing trucks and the like parked at a loading dock fromseparating from the dock during the loading or unloading of the vehicle.In the absence of a vehicle restraint, or if a vehicle restraintmalfunctions, the vehicle may uncontrollably separate from the dock,leaving a gap between the vehicle and the dock and/or docklevelerdisposed therein. As used herein "uncontrolled" separation refers to thesituation where a truck separates from the dock at a time when suchseparation is undesired--such as when loading or unloading of the truckis occurring and/or when a vehicle restraint is engaged. For anuncontrolled separation, a fork truck operator (or other personnel orequipment) either approaching the rear of the truck or leaving the rearof the truck could fail to realize the presence of the gap with direconsequences--the worst being the fork truck falling from the loadingdock or the truck to the driveway below. Indeed, several such accidentsled, in part, to the innovation of the vehicle restraint itself.

While vehicle restraints fall into several general categories, the mostprevalent category is ICC bar restraints. Such restraints are typicallymounted on or adjacent to the dock face and include a hook orrestraining member which engages the rear impact guard or "ICC bar" ofthe vehicle to prevent uncontrolled separation. The National HighwayTransportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently promulgated newregulations for ICC bars, to take effect in 1998 (although truckmanufacturers are already beginning to provide ICC bars that conform tothe new regulations). Under these regulations, the ICC bars must be atleast 4 inches in height, and meet other requirements for strength anddeflection response to applied forces. For an ICC bar restraint toeffectively perform the important function of preventing uncontrolledseparation, it must be capable of restraining ICC bars conforming to thenew standards.

One style of ICC bar restraint is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,865,508 to Carlson, and commercially embodied in a vehicle restraintsold by the Kelley Company, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis. under the model name"Star." A Star-style restraint is depicted in FIGS. 1-9 of the attacheddrawings. In conducting tests of vehicle restraints in light of the newNHTSA standards, we have determined that the present design of aStar-style restraint makes the restraint susceptible to the dangerouscondition of allowing a vehicle with what appears to be a properlyrestrained ICC bar to pull away and separate from the loading dock undercertain commonly-occurring circumstances. As will be described ingreater detail in the specification to follow, we have determined thatthe design of a Star-style unit allows the restraining member to beforced downward by a departing ICC bar to a position where it fails torestrain the ICC bar and the vehicle can drive or otherwise move awayfrom the loading dock.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provideimprovements and modifications to a Star-style unit and other similarrestraints that prevent such restraint failure. Beyond that, however, itis also an object of the present invention to generally provide safervehicle restraints that maintain engagement with a vehicle ICC bar,particularly during pull-aways. It is a further object of the inventionto provide this enhanced safety to vehicle restraints without otherwiseimpeding the normal operation of such restraints. It should be notedthat while the inventions disclosed herein may be useful in enhancingthe operation of given vehicle restraints, some restraints will notrequire use of the invention as other features of those restraintsprovide the desired functionality. Further still, certain restraints mayhave design characteristics that prevent incorporation of the inventiveconcepts of this application while still allowing the restraint topractically service the varied configurations of ICC bars and trailers.

In accordance with these and other objects of the invention, there isprovided improved components for vehicle restraints as well as improvedrestraints, which are intended to eliminate or minimize the causes ofuncontrolled separation attributable to Star-style and similar units. Inaddition to providing improved restraint components and restraints thatavoid these causes, there is also provided specific improvements toStar-style units or similar restraints, the improvements being intendedto prevent or minimize the possibility for uncontrolled separation of aparked, restrained vehicle from a loading dock.

The improved restraints, restraint components and the specificimprovements to the Star-style restraints fall into two generalcategories. In the first category, improvements to the design of thebarrier portion or head of the restraining member are provided. Thebarrier portion or head is the portion of the restraining member behindwhich the ICC bar is intended to be captured. The new restraining memberdesigns and the Star-style head improvements prevent what is believed tobe the primary factors contributing to Star-style units being forceddownward and out of restraining engagement by a departing ICC bar. Theother broad category of restraints, restraint components and specificimprovements to the Star-style restraint are directed to locking therestraining member of a restraint into a given vertical position for apull away by the parked vehicle. The lock does not impede normaloperation of the restraint, but is only activated during a pull away toprevent failure of the restraint.

The embodiments of the invention will be described herein in referenceto the appended drawings, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-9 are a series of views of the prior art Kelley Star restraint,and illustrating what is believed to be the mechanisms leading to theobserved failure of the Star for certain pull away conditions;

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of an improved head configuration for theprior art restraint, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an improved head configuration for theprior art restraint, according to an alternative embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 12 is a front elevation of an improved head configuration for theprior art restraint, according to a further alternative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an improved head configuration for theprior art restraint, according to a further alternative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 14 is a side elevation of an improved head configuration for theprior art restraint, according to a further alternative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 15 is a front elevation of an improved head configuration for theprior art restraint, according to a further alternative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation of an improved head configuration for theprior art restraint, according to a further alternative embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 17 is a rear elevation of the improved head configuration of FIG.16;

FIG. 18 is a front operational elevation of the prior art restraint andincluding an attachable member according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 19 is a section view showing the prior art restraint and attachablemember of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a elevation of the attachable member of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a front elevation of the prior art restraint, and showing theimprovement of a locking member according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of the prior art restraint, and theimprovement of the locking member of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a section view of the improved restraint of FIG. 21 with thelocking device of the invention engaged;

FIG. 24 is a section view of the improved restraint of FIG. 21 with thelocking device disengaged;

FIG. 25 is a section view of the prior art restraint, and showing theimprovement of a locking member according to an alternative embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 26 is a further section view, subsequent in time to the view ofFIG. 25; and

FIG. 27 is a close-up section of the locking member of FIG. 25.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the invention will be described in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to thoseembodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives,modifications and equivalents as are included within the scope andspirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The Star-style unit that we believe to be susceptible to allowinguncontrolled separation of a restrained vehicle from a loading dock isdepicted in FIGS. 1-9, which also show the mechanisms that we believeallow the uncontrolled separation. As seen in FIG. 1, the restraint 10is adapted to be mounted adjacent (in this case on) the face F of aloading dock for selectively restraining the ICC bar (B) of a vehicle(not shown) parked at the loading dock. To restrain the bar B, therestraint 10 includes a restraining member 20 which moves substantiallyvertically relative to the dock face F, in this case between a lowered,stored position shown in FIG. 1 and a restraining position in FIG. 2.The restraining member includes a shank portion 21, which in the case ofthe Star-style restraint is a cylindrical member, and a barrier or headportion 22, which in the Star-style restraint is part circular, andincludes an upper curved surface 23. To guide the restraining member 20in its substantially vertical path relative to the dock face F, therestraining member 20 also includes a first end 25 which in this caseforms a follower that engages a slightly curved track 30 mounted to aframe 35 that is in turn mounted on the dock face F. Despite thepresence of the slightly curved track 30, the restraining membernonetheless moves in a substantially vertical path. As is seen mostclearly in FIG. 3, the movement of the restraining member is nearlyvertical between the lowered, stored position and the restrainingposition, with the barrier or head 22 varying only slightly from avertical line. Further, when the movement of the restraining member isviewed from the side (depicted by the arrow "A" in FIG. 3) its motion isseen to be purely vertical.

We are presently aware of two mechanisms by which the Star-style unit ismoved from the lowered position of FIG. 1 to the restraining position ofFIG. 2. In both versions, a gas spring powers this movement, with therestraining member being held in a lowered, stored position against thebias of the gas spring. In the manual version, manual release of a latchallows the restraining member to rise to the restraining position. Thegas spring acts on an actuating arm (40 in FIGS. 1 and 2) which isconnected to the restraining member to move the restraining memberupwardly. A manual downward force must be applied to the restrainingmember to move it back to the stored position. In the powered version ofthe Star-style unit, a separate, hydraulic cylinder is actuated torelease the actuating arm 40 from the stored position, allowing theupward bias of the gas spring 45 to move the restraining member 20 inits substantially vertical path. Reverse actuation of the hydrauliccylinder returns actuating arm 40 and the restraining member 20 to thestored position, where it is then maintained. The upward bias of therestraining member 20, provided by the gas spring, not only raises therestraining member 20, but also allows the restraining member to "float"up and down with the truck as it is loaded and unloaded (the weightvariances causing the vehicle's suspension to move the vehicle up anddown) to maintain the restraining member in a restraining engagementwith the ICC bar B. It will thus be appreciated that as used herein theterm "restraining position" is not a single position in free space ofthe restraining member, but rather is a range of spatial positions inwhich the upwardly-biased restraining member 20 is in restrainingengagement with the bar B, such that the bar B is in contact with theshank 21 and is thus confined behind the barrier or head 22 to preventthe bar from moving outward away from the dock. Toward that end, thebarrier or head 22 and particularly a first/inner surface 22a isdisposed substantially parallel to the dock face F, as is seen mostclearly in the side section of FIG. 8.

As discussed above, we have determined that the Star-type restraint issusceptible to allowing what appears to be a properly restrained ICC barto be pulled away from the dock face by movement of the vehicle awayfrom the dock. The mechanisms which we believe contribute to thisfailure are illustrated in FIGS. 4-9. As shown in the top view of FIG.4, portions 50, 51 of the ICC bar B that are disposed laterally of thehead 22 will tend to deform and "wrap around" the head 22 when therestrained bar B is in contact with first/inner surface 22a while thevehicle pulls away from the dock face. Depending on the orientation ofthe ICC bar when pull away occurs, one or both lateral portions 50, 51will tend to wrap around. Both portions are shown wrapping around inFIG. 4. Of course, the ICC bar B will deform more for a greater exertedpull-out force, and less for smaller forces. Wrap around will occur atforces above some predetermined magnitude. Assuming a pull out forceabove that predetermined magnitude, the wrap around depicted in FIG. 4,and also seen in the section view of FIG. 5 would occur. This wraparound by the lateral portions 50, 51 of the ICC bar B causes the head22 of the restraining member to be pinched between one or both of thetwo arms 50, 51, particularly in the curved upper surface 23 of the head22. This pinching of the head 22 is depicted by the sets of small arrows55, 56 in the front elevation view of FIG. 6. The pinching of the curvedsurface 23 of the head 22 causes a camming action between at least oneof the lateral portions 50, 51 (and perhaps both) and the curvedsurface, in which the lateral portion(s) ride up and around the curvedsurface, as depicted by the larger arrows 57, 58 in FIG. 6. Since theICC bar is substantially fixed in its vertical position, and isincapable of any substantial movement upward, the result of this cammingaction is a downward movement of the head 22 (as depicted by arrow 60)and thus the restraining member 20. As the vehicle and attached ICC barB continue to move away from the dock, this camming action continuesuntil the restraining member 20 is moved downward a large enoughdistance to allow the ICC bar to no longer be restrained. We believethis camming action to be the primary cause of the failure of theStar-style restraint for pull aways having a force above a predeterminedmagnitude.

A further, and we believe secondary, mechanism is depicted in the viewsof FIGS. 7-9. As seen in FIG. 7, the track 30 includes a rear surface 31and a front surface 32, while the follower 25 includes surfaces 26 and27 which face the surfaces 31,32 on the track 30. During normaloperation of the restraint, the surfaces 26 and 27 are desired to, andtend to remain spaced from the surfaces 31, 32. For a pull away,however, the outward force exerted by the ICC bar B on the head 22 tendsto move the entire restraining member 20, and the follower 25 in anoutward direction. As the camming action referred to above occurs, thehead 22 of the restraining member tends to be moved downward. As aresult, and as seen most clearly in FIG. 9, this causes portions of thesurfaces 26 and 27 to frictionally engage the surfaces 31 and 32,respectively. As a result, the restraining member 20 tends to becomecanted, with the head end 22 moving downward under the camming forcesexerted thereon by the ICC bar, and the first end adjacent the followertending to, at least temporarily, maintain its vertical distance abovethe driveway. This canted orientation causes a second camming action tooccur between the canted tip of the head 22 and the vertical frontsurface S. Continued movement of the ICC bar B away from the dock facethus causes an additional downward force to be exerted on restrainingmember 20. We also believe that this secondary camming action may beexacerbated by a slanting of the ICC bar such that its upper surfacemoves further away from the dock than its lower surface, as seen inphantom in FIG. 9. This slanting is caused by a yielding of the verticaluprights to which the ICC bar is attached (labeled "U" in FIG. 1). As adockward force is exerted by the restraint on the ICC bar during pullaway, these uprights may yield backward (toward the dock), causing thenormally squared ICC bar to slant as in FIG. 9 phantom. This enhancesthe secondary camming effect. Eventually (actually in a matter ofmilliseconds) the downward forces exerted on the restraining member byat least one of the two camming actions overcome the frictional forcebetween the follower 25 and the track 30, and the entire restrainingmember moves downward. As a matter of fact, in the Star-style restraintfailures we have observed, the head end of the restraining member isfirst canted downward by the departing ICC bar B, and then the entirerestraining member is thrown toward the lowest point of its range oftravel, thus leaving the ICC bar B totally unimpeded and able tocontinue away from the dock face.

We have determined that the Star-style restraint can be improved bymodifying the design of the head such that one or both of the cammingactions referred to above, and which force the restraining member down,are either eliminated or counteracted. Several embodiments of improvedheads for the Star-style restraint and which may also (although notnecessarily) be applicable to other types of restraints, are depicted inFIGS. 10-17. The improved head 122 in FIG. 10 includes a pair ofparallel lateral surfaces 123 and 124 which are distinct from the innersurface 122a (shown in FIG. 11) and which are disposed about a verticalcenterline (CL) of the head 122, the centerline being in a planeparallel to the dock face. Since the lateral surfaces 123, 124 arevertical, a pulling away ICC bar will not be able to cam up and aroundthe curved upper surface of the head 122 during a pull away. Rather, oneor both of the portions 50, 51 of the ICC bar disposed laterally of thehead 122, and which wrap there around, will catch on the verticalsurfaces, thereby maintaining the restraining member to which the head122 is attached in a restraining position with respect to the ICC bar B.This effect could be enhanced by making the lateral surfaces 123, 124concave, as depicted in broken lines in FIG. 10. This effect could alsobe enhanced by roughening the lateral surfaces 123, 124 to increase thefrictional engagement between those surfaces and the lateral portions50, 51 of a wrapping around ICC bar. An exemplary embodiment of suchroughening for surfaces 123, 124 is shown in FIG. 11, in which thesurfaces are toothed. It will be appreciated that the lateral surfaces123, 124 will not always be vertical as in FIG. 11 given that the headof the Star-style unit sweeps through a minimally curvilinear path as itmoves to the engaging position. Even so, the surfaces are vertical inthe head position of FIG. 10. Movement of the head 122 to a differentrestraining position would cause one of the lateral surfaces to divergeupwardly and outwardly from a vertical line in a plane parallel to thedock face, as will be addressed in the embodiment of FIGS. 12, 13 and15.

Another improved head 222 is shown in FIG. 12. Instead of havingparallel lateral surfaces as in the previous embodiments, thisembodiment includes at least one surface disposed laterally of acenterline CL and forming an acute angle therewith. Indeed, thisembodiment includes a pair of lateral surfaces 223, 224 distinct fromfirst/inner surface 222a (shown in FIG. 13) and disposed in anupwardly-diverging relation relative to the centerline. Because of theupwardly-diverging relation of the surfaces 223, 224, a departing ICCbar wherein lateral portions 50, 51 wrap around the head 222 wouldactually exert a camming action on the head 222 tending to move it (andthus the restraining member to which the head 222 is attached) upwardinto tighter engagement with the ICC bar B, thus preventing the pullaway. This effect could also be enhanced by making the lateral surfaces223, 224 concave, as is depicted in broken lines in FIG. 12. Inaddition, the lateral surfaces could be roughened to increase thefrictional engagement between the lateral surfaces 223, 224 and thelateral portions 50, 51 of the ICC bar B as they wrap around the head222 during a pull away. An exemplary embodiment of such roughening forsurfaces 223, 224 is shown in FIG. 13, in which the surfaces aretoothed. Again, the slightly curvilinear motion of the head portion 122,222 would cause the lateral surfaces 223, 224, as well as surfaces 123,124 (FIGS. 10 and 11) to take on slightly different orientations inaddition to those shown in FIGS. 10 and 13 if ICC bars of differentheights above the driveway are used. The overall effect of the surfacespreventing downward movement of the hook for wraparound resulting frompull away would be the same.

This same concept is also applicable to a head having a rounded uppersurface as in a Star-style restraint, and as shown in FIG. 15. The head322 in FIG. 15 also includes a pair of lateral surfaces 323, 324disposed in an upwardly-diverging relation. Head 322 also includes arounded top surface 325 that is continuous with the lateral surfaces323, 324. The rounded top surface of the head 322 includes a centerpointC and radius R. So long as the head 322 has a total height such that thecenterpoint C is always above the horizontal centerline CL of the ICCbar B, any downward camming action exerted on the head 332 by the curvedupper surface 325 will be counteracted by an upward camming actionexerted on the head 322 by the lateral surfaces 323, 324 as describedabove.

According to an alternative embodiment, the head of the Star-stylerestraint may be improved by providing a projection on the head thatextends toward the dock face, and which either traps or engages the ICCbar B to prevent downward movement of the restraining member relative tothe ICC bar. One example of such a projection is seen in FIG. 14, inwhich an improved head 422 includes a projection toward the dock face inthat at least a portion of the inner surface 440 of the head portionforms an acute angle with the shank 421 of the restraining member. For apull away by the ICC bar B, the bar B would get pulled under theprojection 440, thus preventing the ICC bar B from camming upward on theouter, lateral surfaces of the head 422. Preferably, this angling of thehead would be used in combination with the head design shown in FIGS.10-13. Further, it is desirable for the head 422 to have an overallheight greater than the height of the ICC bar.

Alternatively, a projection like that shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 could beused. As seen in those figures, the head 522 is modified to include aprojection 540 toward the dock face, and extending from first/innersurface 522a (seen in FIG. 16). The projection 540 is preferably spacedfrom the shank 521 by a distance greater than the height of the ICC barB. Accordingly, as the bar B attempts to pull away, it will be trappedbeneath the projection 540, thus causing the projection to catch on theICC bar B if the restraining member 20 is forced downward. The view ofFIG. 16 shows the ICC bar already moved away from the dock during a pullaway. During normal operation, the ICC bar will typically be disposedcloser to the dock face, and not under the projection 540. The sectionview of FIG. 17 shows the profile of the projection 540. In thisembodiment, it includes two angled surfaces 541, 542. The surfaces areangled to take into account the slight rotation of the head 522 as therestraining member traces its slightly curvilinear path of movement,while continuing to maintain proper spacing for ICC bar clearance duringnormal operation.

A related improvement to the Star-style restraint would be to add anattachable member to the restraining member which provides theprojection of the previous embodiments. Such an attachable member isshown in FIGS. 18-20. The attachable member 80 would be attached to aconventional Star-style restraint 10, as in FIG. 18. Preferably, and asseen more clearly in FIG. 19, the attachable member is adapted to bedisposed about the shank 21 of the restraining member 25. The member 80includes a projection 81 with a surface 81a. The projection extendstoward the dock from first/inner surface 122a and is formed as a part ofmember 80 which performs a similar function to the projections describedabove. Preferably, the attachable member 80 would be freely rotatableabout the shank 21, and would include a counterweight 82 at the endopposite the projection 81. The counterweight ensures that theprojection 81 of the attachable member always maintains a verticalorientation for all positions of the restraining member to maintainproper spacing for ICC bar clearance during normal operation, withoutthe need for the angled surfaces like 541, 542 shown in FIG. 17. To makethe attachable member retrofittable to existing Star-style units, itcould be formed of two pieces 85, 86, and be joined together by bolts 87once in place on the shank 21.

It should be noted that the improvements related to the head portion ofthe Star-style restraint are not limited to that specific restraint.Rather, they may also generally applicable to other restraining membersthat include a shank portion and a barrier portion operatively coupledthereto, the restraining member being disposed substantiallyhorizontally and the barrier portion being disposed substantiallyvertically when the restraining member is in the operative position. Theterm "operatively coupled" in regard to the shank and the barrier isintended to describe not only restraining members in which the barrieris fixed to the shank as in the Star-style unit, but also to otherembodiments, such as where the barrier is capable of reciprocatingbetween a position wherein it extends above the shank to form arestraining member, and a position wherein it is stored below or eveninside a horizontally-extending surface forming the "shank". In suchrestraints with a vertical barrier, the ICC bar may also have a tendencyto wrap around the barrier portion for a pull away. The structures ofangled lateral surfaces and/or projections from the barrier portiontoward the dock face to prevent downward movement of the restrainingmember for pull away may thus both be applicable to this broadercategory of restraints. However, it is also true that such restraintsmay already incorporate features that prevent or minimize uncontrolledseparation, thus minimizing or eliminating the advantage of using thepresent invention. In addition, design aspects of such restraints maymake incorporation of the present invention impracticable, particularlyin light of the wide variety of trailer and ICC bar configurations.

Returning to the Star-style restraint, an alternative solution tomodifying the head to prevent downward forces being exerted on therestraining member is to lock the restraining member in its verticalposition above the driveway for a pull away. As will be appreciated byone of skill in the art, however, it is undesirable to lock therestraining member in such a vertical position at all times when the ICCbar is restrained during normal operation, since this does not providefor float of the restraining member with the vehicle as it is loaded andunloaded. FIGS. 21-27 depict two embodiments of improvements to theStar-style restraint that provides free floating of the restrainingmember for normal operation of the restraint, but that also locks therestraining member in a vertical position for a pull away.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 21-24 a locking device in the form oftoothed projections 600 formed in the track 30, and a pawl member 610(see FIGS. 23 and 24), prevents downward movement of the ICC bar for apull away, but also provides for "floating" operation of the restrainingmember for normal conditions. The toothed projections 600 could also bea separate piece or pieces attached adjacent the track 30. As seen inFIGS. 23 and 24, the pawl 610 is preferably carried adjacent therestraining member--in this case on the actuating arm 40 associated withthe restraining member 20--and is capable of reciprocating movementbetween a position wherein the pawl 610 is engaged with a toothedprojection 600 on the track 30 (FIG. 23), and a position wherein it isdisengaged from a toothed projection 600 (FIG. 24). In the engagedposition, the pawl 610 prevents the restraining member from movingdownward relative to the track 30. In the disengaged position, therestraining member 20 is permitted to move through its full range ofmotion.

To allow the improved Star-style device shown in FIGS. 21-24 to onlylock the restraining member in its vertical position for a pull away,yet provide for "floating" operation at other times, some means fordetermining when a pull away is occurring should be coupled to thelocking device so that it is activated only when a pull away isoccurring. Toward that end, the conventional Star-style unit includes asensor member 38 that is pivotally mounted about the restraining member20. As seen most clearly in FIGS. 23 and 24, the sensor member 38 movesbetween a first position (FIG. 23) and a sensing position (FIG. 24) inresponse to the restraining member 20 moving upward into engagement withthe ICC bar (the ICC bar pushes the sensor member 38 to the sensingposition). The pawl 610 is operatively connected to the sensor member 38such that it is in the disengaged position when the sensor member is inthe sensing position (i.e. when an ICC bar B is properly restrained).For a pull away, however, and as described in detail above, therestraining member and the ICC bar move vertically relative to eachother, with the restraining member moving down. The pawl is thus alsooperatively connected to the sensor member 38 such that the pawl 610moves to the engaged position as the sensor member 38 moves away fromthe sensing position. Thus, as a pull away occurs, forcing therestraining member down, the ICC moves out of contact with the shankportion 21 of the restraining member 20, and the sensing member 38 movesaway from the sensing position, thus engaging the pawl 610 with atoothed projection 600, and locking the restraining member 20 in placevertically above the driveway, thus preventing the ICC bar B from beingable to force the restraining member 20 further down and escapetherefrom. The toothed projections 600 are depicted as preventingdownward movement of the restraining member 20, but allowing upwardmovement when the pawl 610 is engaged in one of the toothed projections.It will be appreciated that other configurations for both the toothedprojections 600 and the pawl 610 could be used, including aconfiguration that would prevent both downward and upward movement ofthe restraining member 20 for engagement between the toothed projections600 and the pawl 610.

In this embodiment, the operative connection between the pawl 610 andthe sensor member is in the form of a pin 620 projecting from the pawl610, and perhaps seen most clearly in the top view of FIG. 22. The pin620 is disposed so as to be engaged by the sensor member 38 as it movestoward the sensing position, thus pushing the pawl 610 away from anengaged position. The pawl is preferably biased toward the engagedposition, in this case by means of a spring 630 disposed between thepawl 610 and a fixed structure mounted adjacent the spring. In additionto the sensor member 38 itself, a second bias-overcoming member ispreferably provided, in this case in the form of a solenoid 640 whichmay be energized to move the pawl 610 away from its engaged position bypulling on a shaft 650 attached thereto. Without the solenoid 640, therestraining member 20 would not be able to move to a stored positionafter loading or unloading of the vehicle was completed since as soon ascontact between the shank 21 and the ICC bar was lost (as is desired inthis situation, since the vehicle desires to leave), the restrainingmember 20 would be locked in position vertically and prevent vehicledeparture. Preferably, operation of the solenoid 640 or otherbias-overcoming means is tied into the control box for the device suchthat the solenoid is actuated at least when the button to release therestraint is pushed.

It should be noted that this improvement to the Star-style device is notlimited to that specific restraint. Rather, the invention is alsobroadly directed to a more general vehicle restraint that includes arestraining member and a sensor member operatively coupled to therestraining member for moving to a sensing position in response tomovement of the restraining member to a restraining engagement of an ICCbar. A locking mechanism is also provided that is responsive to movementof the sensor member away from the sensing position to lock therestraining member against at least downward movement. Such a lockingdevice is not limited to the mechanical locking device shown in relationto the Star-style restraint. For example, in a restraint device that isbiased upwardly by a conventional wire-formed spring, a gas spring, ahydraulic cylinder, or other biasing means, a lock device could beprovided to lock the spring or cylinder for movement of the sensormember away from the sensing position. The operative connection betweenthe sensor member and the locking device could be electrical ormechanical. Other alternative means for locking a restraining memberagainst downward movement in response to the sensor member moving awayfrom the sensing position will occur to one of skill in the art. As inthe improved Star-style restraint, such structure provides therestraining member with "floating" operation for normal conditions, yetalso prevents further downward movement of the restraining member whenrelative vertical motion between the ICC bar and the restraining memberallows the sensor member to move away from the sensing position. Again,however, not all restraints require such a locking mechanism toeffectively and safely restrain a vehicle. Nor are all restraintspracticably amenable to such modification.

An alternative improvement to the Star-style restraint, and which alsoallows for "floating" operation of the restraint until a pull away, isshown in FIGS. 25-27. This improvement takes advantage of the canting ofthe restraining member that we have observed and which was discussed inregard to FIGS. 7-9. As stated there, the canting of the restrainingmember 20 causes the faces 26 and 27 of the follower 25 to engage thefaces 31, 32 of the track 30. According to this embodiment of theinvention, the frictional engagement between these surfaces in enhancedby providing a projection 670 on one or both of the surfaces 26, 27 thatbites into one of the faces of the track 30. FIG. 26 shows such a bitingmember 670 disposed in face 27 to bitingly engage the front surface 32of the track 30 when the restraining member is canted. A detailed viewof the biting member 670 is shown in FIG. 27, which shows that themember 670 is threadingly received in a bore or other receptacle formedin the surface and may illustratively include sharp surfaces 671, 672 toenhance the biting action. At the same time, the biting member 670 isdisposed such that it does not engage the track 30 during normaloperation of the restraint, as is shown in FIG. 25. It is only when apull away cants the restraining member 20 that the biting member engagesthe track to lock the restraining member 20 in its vertical position,thus preventing further downward movement and ensuring that the ICC barB stays captured thereby.

There have thus been disclosed improvements to the Star-style restraint,as well as novel vehicle restraints or components using similarconcepts. The resulting devices exhibit enhanced ability to restrain avehicle's ICC bar during a pull away.

What is claimed is:
 1. A restraining member for a vehicle restraint, thevehicle restraint being adapted to be mounted adjacent a face of aloading dock for selectively restraining the ICC bar of a vehicle parkedadjacent the dock face to prevent the ICC bar and thus the vehicle frommoving away from the dock face, the restraining member being adapted forsubstantially vertical movement relative to the dock face to a positionwherein the restraining member restrainingly engages an ICC bar of aparked vehicle, the restraining member comprising:a shank portion and abarrier portion operatively coupled to the shank portion, the shankportion being disposed substantially horizontally and the barrierportion being disposed substantially vertically with the restrainingmember in a restraining position such that the barrier portion preventsthe restrained ICC bar from moving away from the dock face and causes atleast one of the portions of the ICC bar extending laterally beyond thebarrier portion to wrap around the barrier portion when the parkedvehicle moves away from the dock face with a force above a predeterminedmagnitude, the barrier portion including a centerline in a verticalplane generally parallel to the dock face, the barrier portion includingat least one lateral surface forming an acute outward angle with thecenterline, whereby a lateral portion of the ICC bar engages the angledlateral surface as it wraps around the barrier portion during movementof the vehicle away from the dock face to thereby prevent downwardmovement of the restraining member.
 2. The restraining member of claim1, wherein the lateral surface is spaced from the centerline.
 3. Therestraining member of claim 1, wherein the lateral surface is roughenedto enhance the frictional engagement with the lateral portion of the ICCbar as it wraps around the barrier portion during movement of thevehicle away from the dock face.
 4. The restraining member of claim 3,wherein the roughened lateral surface is toothed.
 5. The restrainingmember of claim 1, wherein the lateral surface is concave.
 6. Therestraining member of claim 1, wherein the barrier portion includes apair of lateral surfaces disposed in an upwardly-diverging relationrelative to the centerline.
 7. The restraining member of claim 6,wherein the lateral surfaces are roughened to enhance the frictionalengagement with the lateral portions of the ICC bar as they wrap aroundthe barrier portion during movement of the vehicle away from the dockface.
 8. The restraining member of claim 7, wherein the roughenedlateral surfaces are toothed.
 9. The restraining member of claim 6,wherein the lateral surfaces are concave.
 10. An improvement for avehicle restraint adapted to be mounted adjacent a face of a loadingdock for selectively restraining the ICC bar of a vehicle parkedadjacent the loading dock to prevent the ICC bar and thus the vehiclefrom moving away from the dock face, and including a restraining memberextending away from the dock face and capable of substantially verticalmovement relative to the dock face to a position wherein the restrainingmember restrainingly engages an ICC bar of a parked vehicle, therestraining member including a shank portion and a head portionconnected to the shank, the head portion being disposed substantiallyparallel to the dock face for preventing the restrained ICC bar frommoving away from the dock face and for causing at least one of theportions of the ICC bar extending laterally beyond the head portion towrap around the head portion when the parked vehicle moves away from thedock face, with the restraining member in the restraining position, witha force above a predetermined magnitude, the improvement comprising:thehead portion including a centerline in a vertical plane generallyparallel to the dock face, and including at least one lateral surfaceforming an acute outward angle with the centerline, and disposed toengage a laterally-extending portion of the ICC bar as a laterallyextending portion wraps around the head portion during movement of thevehicle away from the dock face to thereby prevent downward movement ofthe restraining member.
 11. The improvement of claim 10, wherein thelateral surface is roughened to enhance the frictional engagement with alateral portion of the ICC bar as it wraps around the head portionduring movement of the vehicle away from the dock face.
 12. Theimprovement of claim 11, wherein the roughened lateral surface istoothed.
 13. The improvement of claim 10, wherein the lateral surface isconcave.
 14. The improvement of claim 10, wherein the head portionincludes a pair of lateral surfaces disposed in an upwardly-divergingrelation relative to the centerline.
 15. The improvement of claim 14,wherein the lateral surfaces are roughened to enhance the frictionalengagement with the lateral portions of the ICC bar as they wrap aroundthe head portion during movement of the vehicle away from the dock face.16. The improvement of claim 15, wherein the roughened lateral surfacesare toothed.
 17. The improvement of claim 14, wherein the lateralsurfaces are concave.
 18. The improvement of claim 14, wherein the ICCbar includes a horizontal centerline, and wherein the head portionincludes a rounded top surface continuous with and above the lateralsurfaces, the rounded top surface having a radius and a centerpoint, andwherein the head portion has a total height such that the centerpoint isdisposed above the horizontal centerline of the ICC bar when therestraining member is in the restraining position.
 19. A restrainingmember for a vehicle restraint, the vehicle restraint being adapted tobe mounted adjacent a face of a loading dock for selectively restrainingthe ICC bar of a vehicle parked adjacent the dock face to prevent theICC bar and thus the vehicle from moving away from the dock face, therestraining member being adapted for substantially vertical movementrelative to the dock face to a position wherein the restraining memberrestrainingly engages an ICC bar of a parked vehicle, the restrainingmember comprising:a shank portion and a barrier portion operativelycoupled to the shank portion, the shank portion being disposedsubstantially horizontally with the restraining member in a restrainingposition and the barrier portion extending upwardly from the shankportion and including a first, inner face and being disposedsubstantially vertically with the restraining member in a restrainingposition such that the barrier portion prevents a restrained ICC barfrom moving away from the dock face and causes at least one of theportions of a restrained ICC bar extending laterally beyond the barrierportion to wrap around the barrier portion when a parked vehicle movesaway from the dock face with a force above a predetermined magnitude,the barrier portion including a surface distinct from the first surfaceand engageable with the ICC bar during movement of the vehicle away fromthe dock face to thereby prevent downward movement of the restrainingmember.
 20. The restraining member of claim 19, wherein the barrierportion includes a centerline in a vertical plane generally parallel tothe dock face, and wherein the distinct surface engageable with the ICCbar is a lateral surface forming an acute outward angle with thecenterline, whereby a lateral portion of the ICC bar engages the angledlateral surface as it wraps around the barrier portion during movementof the vehicle away from the dock face to thereby prevent downwardmovement of the restraining member.
 21. The restraining member of claim20, wherein the angled lateral surface is spaced from the centerline.22. The restraining member of claim 20, wherein the angled lateralsurface is roughened to enhance the frictional engagement with thelateral portion of the ICC bar as it wraps around the barrier portionduring movement of the vehicle away from the dock face.
 23. Therestraining member of claim 22, wherein the roughened lateral surface istoothed.
 24. The restraining member of claim 20, wherein the angledlateral surface is concave.
 25. The restraining member of claim 19,wherein the barrier portion includes a centerline in a vertical planegenerally parallel to the dock face, and wherein the barrier portionincludes a pair of lateral surfaces forming the distinct surface anddisposed in an upwardly-diverging relation relative to the centerline,whereby a lateral portion of the ICC bar engages at least one of saidlateral surfaces as it wraps around the barrier portion during movementof the vehicle away from the dock face to thereby prevent downwardmovement of the restraining member.
 26. The improvement of claim 25,wherein the ICC bar includes a horizontal centerline, and wherein thebarrier portion includes a rounded top surface continuous with and abovethe angled lateral surfaces, the rounded top surface having a radius anda centerpoint, and wherein the barrier portion has a total height suchthat the centerpoint is disposed above the horizontal centerline of theICC bar when the restraining member is in the restraining position. 27.The restraining member of claim 19, wherein the surface of the barrierportion that is engageable with the ICC bar is formed on a projectiontoward the dock face disposed to be engageable with the ICC bar duringsaid pull away by the vehicle to prevent downward movement of therestraining member.
 28. The restraining member of claim 27, wherein theprojection extends toward the dock face from the inner face of thebarrier portion in spaced relation to the shank portion of therestraining member.
 29. The restraining member of claim 28, wherein thespacing between the projection and the shank portion is greater than theheight of the ICC bar.
 30. The restraining member of claim 27, andincluding an attachable member adapted to be disposed about the shankportion of the restraining member adjacent the barrier portion, theprojection forming a part of the attachable member.
 31. The improvementof claim 30, wherein the attachable member is capable of rotation aboutthe shank portion.
 32. The improvement of claim 31, wherein theattachable member includes first and second opposed ends, and whereinthe attachable member freely rotates about the shank portion, theprojection being disposed adjacent the first end, the attachable memberincluding a counterweight disposed adjacent the second end formaintaining the attachable member in a vertical orientation for allpositions of the restraining member.
 33. The improvement of claim 27,wherein the shank portion includes a top surface that is disposedsubstantially horizontal with the restraining member in the restrainingposition, at least a portion of the inner face of the barrier portionforming an acute angle with the shank portion top surface to provide theprojection.
 34. The restraining member of claim 19, wherein the barrierportion includes a curved upper surface and a vertical centerlinedisposed in a plane substantially parallel to the dock face, and whereinthe surface engageable with the ICC bar is disposed laterally of andparallel to the centerline and disposed to be engageable with alaterally-extending portion of the ICC bar as the laterally extendingportion wraps around the barrier portion during movement of the vehicleaway from the dock face to prevent downward movement of the restrainingmember.
 35. The restraining member of claim 19, wherein the barrierportion includes a curved upper surface and a vertical centerline in aplane generally parallel to the dock face, and wherein the barrierportion includes a pair of lateral surfaces forming the distinct surfaceand disposed in a parallel relation about the centerline, whereby alateral portion of the ICC bar engages at least one of said lateralsurfaces as it wraps around the barrier during movement of the vehicleaway from the dock face to prevent downward movement of the restrainingmember.
 36. The restraining member of claim 35, wherein the lateralsurfaces are roughened to enhance the frictional engagement with thelateral portions of the ICC bar as they wrap around the barrier portionduring movement of the vehicle away from the dock face.
 37. Theimprovement of claim 36, wherein the roughened lateral surfaces aretoothed.